The backend services for mobile apps | Back4App Blog
A project involving application development is one that requires planning and attention to detail. With such a vast number of options available for mobile app developers, it has become essential for this process to begin with the best tools available.
When you decide to create any kind of mobile application, you have to consider what sort of components you are going to be using. This means that you need to make a decision in regards to which backend you are going to use. These backends are known as BaaS, which stands for Backend as a Service, and knowing which one is going to be ideal for your needs will be quite useful.
Choosing wisely depending on your specific needs and budget. Reading this article, you will learn:
- The five best backend services
- The list includes Back4App, Parse, Kinvey, Firebase, AWS Amplify
- The basic services of a backend provider
- Mobile projects best handled by a backend service
When the development of a mobile app is set to begin, you have to consider a large number of factors that are going to help you structure the entire project with the best possible choices.
This is not a decision that you are going to want to be rushing into. The backend that you decide to use is going to play a vital role in the results you get. You need to look into features and costs, and this is going to allow you to make an informed decision.
Some people would recommend a particular backend because that is all that they have used, so it’s always a good idea to look into all of them and analyze which one fits your requirements.
Don’t forget that a proper backend is going to help you handle calculations, performance, business logic, and many other essential aspects of your app development process.
The mobile app competition is fierce
Mobile app development has become an outstanding tool that helps elevate business ventures to whole new levels. This means that to achieve results, you need to be able to develop your apps fast and efficiently. With time being such a valuable part of any business looking to succeed in the existing market, you will find the help of a reliable backend to be very valuable.
This is the main reason why you need to be careful when you decide what kind of backend you are going to implement into your development process. A significant aspect of the following list is that most of these options have plenty of feedback from a community of users.
The ability to do some research on existing feedback for best backend services for mobile apps is going to be very useful. It will save you time, and you will avoid trial and error.
To read a detailed tutorial about the backend as service benefits, architecture, best-suited projects, etc., please read:
The following are some of the best backend services for mobile apps that you can find on the market today:
Back4App
Back4app is a very robust backend with a large number of excellent features. It comes with an intuitive dashboard, LiveQuery Real-Time databases, version control, a powerful command-line tool, GeoQueries, replica set, Auto-scaling, very reliable and detailed analytics, and multi-app tenancy. You will be able to find a free plan to get you started too.
This is a great option when you are looking for quality, and you can expect to find plenty of information on how to use it. The communities that are running behind most of these backends are very resourceful. It’s always a good idea to consider using them when you want to learn more about how a backend works.
To know more about Back4App’s features, please read:
Parse
Parse is a very powerful backend that is packed with useful features, so you can expect to get optimal results from its use. It has analytics, a great dashboard, push notifications, system emails, global configuration, webhooks, background jobs, and it’s effortless to deploy and use. This is more than enough to ensure an excellent experience when working on your application.
Just as we mentioned with Back4App, this backend has a large community that is always posting new information and helping newcomers learn how to use it properly. If you need any info on parse, you won’t have to search too long to find answers.
To know more about Parse, please read:
Firebase
From the moment that you learn that this is a project that is backed by Google, you know that this is going to be worth checking out. They have a robust system with plenty of great features that include crash reports, cloud storage, real-time databases, and a test lab. One of the most practical things with this backed is that you can start out with a free plan and upgrade as you see fit, but this is also available on other backends.
Firebase is definitely a great option that is given very positive reviews by most people who use it. There are some pros and cons to it as there are too many backends, but this is definitely an excellent choice that is very likely to be right for your project.
Kinvey
This particular backend is going to give you plenty of useful features such as the mobilization of enterprise data, the use of a large number of cloud-native services, and a very nice catalog of app templates. This is going to be great if you want to spend up the process of developing your app fast and efficiently. It also offers analytics and high operational intelligence.
It would be safe to say that Kinvey is a popular choice, and it stands quite well with the rest of the backends that we have listed here. You can expect this to be a reliable choice as the rest of the solutions that we mention in this post.
AWS Amplify
This is definitely worth considering as it is backed by no other than Amazon, and it has been utilized for the creation of apps for Netflix, Airbnb, and Periscope, amongst others. It is packed with features that include authentication, device farm, and cloud storage. Just like most of the popular backends, you can start out with a free plan and upgrade.
Being that AWS is backed by Amazon, you know that there is going to be support for it. This is not to say that large companies don’t end up failing to create great solutions from time to time, but AWS is definitely a backend that is worth considering and researching as a very viable option.
The 101 on the right MBAAS provider
There are plenty of providers to choose from, and we gave you a list of some of the most popular choices. There are some essentials that you should consider adding to a checklist before you make a decision.
This is not a set of features that is by any means complete, but it does provide an essential guide to a reliable solution.
A proper backend should include:
- A very secure and scalable infrastructure
- User authentication
- Push notifications
- Email Notifications
- API console
- Analytics
- Intuitive interface
- Seamless navigation
- Community feedback
This is the most essential list of features that you should expect to find with any reliable backend, and the ones we mentioned above meet this criterion without a doubt. Just consider these tips when choosing one, and this is going to lead you to a great choice.
To know more about BaaS — Backend as a Service features, please read the complete guide below:
The basic BaaS features you should consider
Mobile projects best handled by a backend service
The category of projects that are best managed by a backend as a service includes:
- Messaging apps
- Games
- Geolocation apps (taxi apps, food delivery, restaurant, etc.)
- IoT applications
- Mobile commerce
The list is pretty vast, and to know more please read:
What projects are best suited to BaaS?
Backend as a Service Video
Final thoughts
If you are looking for the best backend services for mobile apps, you will find that the ones we have mentioned are outstanding. Saying that one is better than the other would be impossible as they all have their strengths and weaknesses, but they can all prove to be ideal depending on certain factors, so we do invite you to evaluate them further and decide on the best course of action.
If there is one thing that we can guarantee is that they have all proven to be quite reliable by active communities of app developers and startups. It is of great importance that all developers can find a genuinely suitable backend that helps them in their process.
Hopefully, this article has been of help and guidance to show you the most reliable options available.
Originally published at https://blog.back4app.com on October 23, 2019.